Short, Light, Free Chapter 107: Blemish of Time III

I got familiar with my job a month in. There wasn't really much to do.

Nevertheless, I learned quite a bit within the month. I was running a 'chicken' business, and there was a duck business going on in the southernmost corner of Blemish of Time. I figured that it was to prevent a mix-up.

I basically slept during the day. One time, a lady woke me up to inform me that my light was turning orange. Frightened, I sped out of Blemish of Time to get a new tank.

A tank provided enough oxygen to last an average person two days and two nights. Technology in Blemish of Time was much more advanced than in the outside world.

Employees did not have to pay when eating at restaurants or when shopping at the supermarkets. There wasn't any limitation as well. I guessed it made sense since what the guests could spend in an hour could also last us about 20 lifetimes.

Businesses usually came in at night, naturally, since few would have the mood for it in the day.

Other than a few regulars who would call for the ladies, we don't get many other customers since there were quite a lot of female guests living in Blemish of Time. There were also males here who were tied down by families. Children of the rich people usually enter when they hit the age of 20.

I was in charge of sending the ladies to the clients' houses or even rooms at times. The doors would only open after a verification process, and it was always frightening to see a red light on the panel.

I heard many stories about employees being lured into apartments just to be killed. Rich people's idea of fun was something us ordinary people couldn't understand.

Of course, some guests understood our fears and would undo the restriction after getting familiar with us.

I was only in charge of escorting the ladies and I did not have to get involved with payment and other procedures.

To work more efficiently, I learned how to drive within this space of two square kilometers.

Who would've guessed that my first driving experience would happen in a place like this?

Things became much simpler after that. I napped during the day and worked at night.

I also started getting familiar with the space. The properties were all designated by numbers and since there were a hundred households, there were a hundred numbers. A house could accommodate a maximum of five people.

I thought about drafting a map out so I could seek help from it.

That man named Dahai would call me regularly to check on things. He would have me go over to his place for lunch whenever I had the time.

After meeting him for a few times, I realized that he seldom entered Blemish of Time. He spent most of his time interviewing potential employees and then allocating the chosen ones.

Dahai told me a lot and often reminded me not to cross the boundary.

There were two meanings. First, I wasn't to remove the oxygen mask at all times during work and to be wary about the indicator light on the visor.

Second, it involved a rumored organization called Destroyers. They were said to be cannibals, and as such, almost every employee was afraid of crossing the boundary.

I found something problematic in that, however. If there really was such an organization within Blemish of Time, wouldn't there be corpses lying around?

I tried searching for information about these Destroyers but I couldn't find anything. I also asked one of the ladies under my charge, a 70-year-old who looked not a day over 21, and she told me she never heard of any murder cases like that. She even thought that I was referring to The Arabian Nights.

It was rumored that many employees had been victimized, but the ladies would've been easier targets. So why did the organization name, spreading among the employees, sounded so foreign to the ladies?

Daily Reports, Blemish of Time's own newspaper, reported mostly about the outside world so that was no help either.

Could it be that the 'Destroyers' were fabricated to prevent employees from trespassing certain areas?

Other than the missing 'Destroyers', I also couldn't find the mysterious grass Grandfather had talked about.

I supposed that there wasn't as much greenery here compared to the past.

I took another look at a sorted map and realized that there were indeed a few no-access regions.

A red light would appear on the monitor of the visor the moment one stepped across the boundary.

I marked the places out and found that they formed a square region.

There was a big building in the middle and four factory constructions, one in each corner.

These constructions were black and no one seemed to have gone in and out of them.

Since my job started mostly at night, it was a very good cover-up for me.

The clients were usually asleep by three am and apart from the ladies who stayed over at the clients' houses, the rest would've been back by then. Plus, because I slept in the day, I felt energized at night.

One weekend, after sending all the ladies back, I decided to venture out.

I parked my car at a covert spot before approaching the factory.

I walked around it and spotted no windows at all.

The place was sealed except for a chimney for ventilation, the only reason why I recognized that it was a factory.

There wasn't any way to enter except through the chimney.

It was easy for me since I grew up in the village and had to climb many walls.

However, the moment I started to climb, the monitor on my visor started flashing a red light and a countdown.

I had to drop my plans and think of a better idea.

While working here meant that I could only get fixed upon leaving, I was allowed to get payment in advance. There weren't any guarded entrances in Blemish of Time as well so I had a lot of freedom.

I ran out, far away, to purchase a retractable probe that was 20 meters long.

I brought it back into Blemish of Time and climbed up the walls. 

The countdown started and I let the probe down.

I finally caught a view of the interior after four minutes.

The image was connected to my phone screen and I was dumbstruck.

Rows and rows of neatly grown grass.

The one Grandfather had talked about.

Transparent leaves with visible green veins. There were artificial lights shining down on them 24/7.

I retracted the probe and quickly got away from the building. I wondered if this was the secret to Blemish of Time and if that was what Grandfather had wanted me to take away. 

The difficult part was doing all of this within five minutes.

I thought about how I could achieve that or deactivate the alarm on my visor.

I thought about Dahai. He might still have the older suits since he mentioned that they kept changing over the years. Those suits might not have alarms attached to them.

I gave Dahai a call.

"Hey, let's meet up. I have a lot on my mind recently so I won't be going out of the city. You have a house in Bluewave City, right? I'll prepare some food for us so tell me your address."

"Sure," Dahai agreed readily, which was unexpected.

I brought over some dishes and a few bottles of good wine to his place that noon.

Naturally, after our meal, he drank until he passed out.

I took the opportunity to search his closet.

Indeed, I found two older models of the bodysuit. They had the same port meant for the oxygen tank and mask so I tossed one into my bag, went back out, and pretended to be asleep.

After bidding goodbye that day, I returned to Blemish of Time with my equipment.

At three am, when everyone was asleep, I got out, changed into Dahai's old suit, attached the oxygen tank and entered the building.

The old bodysuit was much thicker than the new one.

I climbed up the factory with much effort this time and entered through the chimney.

I looked around and the whole place was filled with that unique grass.

There wasn't anything to worry about since there weren't monitors around.

I chose a few of the strongest blades and stowed them away in my bag. I took five with me in total.

As I was about to get back up through the chimney, I noticed someone descending.

I was kicked to the ground, hard.

It was Dahai.

I was at a loss.

"I attached a tracker to that suit. Looks like you've found this place, too."

"You..."

"I'm not here to catch you. You two look so much like each other... you're Goudan's grandson, aren't you? Or son perhaps? Of course, he changed his name so it's not strange that your surname is Lu," he said through his coughs.

"That's my grandfather. Why are you here?" I asked.

He let out a raspy laugh. "Your grandfather told me about the grass, which is why I kept the old suit in the first place. I came here to steal the grass and bring it home, but I accidentally took in a few breaths of air. My lungs are severely poisoned because of that. I did not expect him to tell you about this, though. The company fired him because he found out about the grass. If he hadn't been caught, he will probably be part of the management by now."

"Why didn't you create your own Blemish of Time?" I asked.

"Do you think it's that easy? Us old people have our criminal records, unlike you. I'll be eliminated in three years' time so I'll leave that task to you. Build a Blemish of Time in your hometown. I can help you leave this place and teach you how to grow them. I chose to stay here in order to find out the methods to grow them. My only condition is that you offer me an eternal spot in your Blemish of Time.

I nodded. "That's not a problem, but what exactly is this grass?"

"A biological weapon used in war. However, people discovered that the gas it releases can wrap around our internal organs. They will be damaged if the gas membrane is removed. On the contrary, if the membrane is maintained, the organs will never deteriorate," Dahai explained before taking out a small manual.

I took it and saw some notes regarding temperature control and other key points. 

Dahai continued, "Let's get out of here first. I perfected the notes after growing a room full of grass. Just remember not to breathe in the gas until you ensure that the air you create is fully recyclable. Keep your oxygen mask on when you grow them."

I nodded.

We climbed out of the factory and exited Blemish of Time.

Daihai said, "I have over ten bunches and I will hand them all to you. I'll visit your Blemish of Time after three years. Give your bag to me, go back in, and let your service points drop. I'll apply for your dismissal and ticket home in a week's time."

I nodded, thinking about how Dahai would've eventually shared all these with me even if I hadn't found out about the grass. It all made sense since he was the one who initiated conversations and provided tips.

For the next week, I deliberately arrived late at clients' houses.

I would accumulate an overdraft every month and I even pretended to take drugs. I was ultimately fired for 'using' drugs at work and was sent back in a car. Dahai sent me off and returned my bag to me.

I knew that it contained the special grass.

"There's also an oxygen tank and an old suit in there. Remember, don't breathe until it's all completed," he whispered.

Three years later, in my hometown.

Dahai quit his job and traveled around the continents before coming over.

In three years' time, I had dug out a 200 square kilometer underground space.

There were electricity and other necessary facilities. I was also secretly operating my low-cost Blemish of Time.

"The facilities are so simple and minimal," Dahai commented.

"It's only been a year and some of the inhabitants are just new-blood of rich people. I'll start another round of construction when I get sufficient funds," I responded.

"Are you sure you can do this properly? I was planning to assist you for a few more years, but I don't think my lungs can take it anymore."

"I understand. You can stay here and manage the plants. There are 130 rooms and room two is yours. I'll expand this place some more and join you when I'm about 30 or so. Don't worry about anything," I assured him.

Consoled, Dahai smiled, stroking his face.

I shut the glass door and saw him enter my Blemish of Time, gearless. 

Chapter end